Thursday, October 28, 2010

Dachshunds: The great canine optimists...

I sat down at the desk here to check my email for the afternoon, with a plate in front of me containing a couple of rolled-up hors d'oeuvres, consisting of rolled slices of smoked chicken breast and yummy cheese, when I felt my ears burning like someone was talking about me behind my back. I looked down, and at either elbow was a dachshund staring raptly towards the plate with a gaze to make an eagle look myopic.

"Y'all know that I'm eating over a plate, and the plate is on a desk, and nothing is likely to fall to dog level, right?"

They didn't blink. Not once. Not until I was done and had carted my dishes to the sink did they stir from their sphinx-like poses. It was uncanny.

I'm used to dogs that beg. I'm used to dogs that ignore you. I'm even used to cats that will magically levitate to food-level and offer to fight you for your grub. But this dead-silent, absolutely single-minded scrutiny was almost unnerving...

23 comments:

These are dogs whose pack includes two young children, remember. Which means a)they have been taught not to harass eaters, and b)they have learned that the probability of something being dropped anyway is high.

""Ja mien Herr. Ztand rhight here, by the hole where the dog chases out the badger."

All other holes being stopped up,there is only one exit, where the badger will come out.Post of honor? Nah...post of being in the way of a single-minded Doxie with 'biting badger' or ANYTHING else that moves on it's mind. Krauts have a hearty laff. Nice scar, tho.

Intense little dogs, those earthhunds. We like the Tribe Canine. Our Chessies have been an ongoing graduate course, and yup -- The Table has rituals all it's own.

I used to live with Great Danes, they sit down and stare fixedly DOWN on the plates and table.

Oh, Except the one that would drool on my shoulder and he rested his head on it while gently breathing near my ear.

(That was all good, it was their habit of grabbing the duvet and gentlt but firmly pulling it off, followed by a large cold wet nose in warm places when they needed to pee at 7AM that got on my nerves.)

Dackelhunden are good like that. My little long-hair dachshund was intense in her focus, and wouldn't blink one bit until her chances of getting a treat were well past. She'd also decide during her daily walks that she wanted to go no further, and would quite pointedly sit down. I miss her...